Opinions of Teachers on Teaching Non-Traditional Sports in Primary Schools
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European Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 2018, 6(2) Copyright © 2018 by Academic Publishing House Researcher s.r.o. Published in the Slovak Republic European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Has been issued since 2013. E-ISSN: 2409-1952 2018, 6(2): 40-49 DOI: 10.13187/ejpe.2018.2.40 www.ejournal7.com Articles and Statements Opinions of Teachers on Teaching Non-Traditional Sports in Primary Schools Štefan Adamčák a, Pavol Bartík a , *, Anna Kozaňáková b, Renáta Tomková c a Matej Bel University, Slovakia b Academy of the Police Force in Bratislava, Slovakia c Elementary school with a nursery school in Pavlovce nad Uhom, Slovakia Abstract The study aims to analyse the opinions of primary school teachers (n=324) on teaching non- traditional sports in terms of the school’s location (urban/rural), as well as in terms of intersexual differences. The research was carried out in the school year 2015/16 and the opinions were collected in a survey and evaluated using the TAP 3 program of Gamo, Banská Bystrica. The majority of teachers (87.96 %) hold the view that interest in Physical Education and Sport will increase through the teaching of non-traditional sports. According to the teachers, when it comes to non-traditional sports, both in urban and rural schools, the students are most interested in floorball (boys) and badminton (girls). The most motivating factor for pupils when implementing non-traditional sports is, according to the teachers, the stimulation of skills and abilities through the sports. This answer significantly dominates among all teachers in the urban schools – with a response frequency higher than 60 %. Keywords: sports, non-traditional sports, school Physical Education, teacher of Physical Education and Sport. 1. Introduction Building on the constantly changing interest of pupils in Physical Education and Sport, the interest in new activities which are mostly used for leisure purposes is increasing. Implementing non-traditional physical or sport activities brings new motivations for pupils and teachers to make teaching more attractive and the content of Physical Education and Sport more varied. This fact is related to their high emotionality and diversity in terms of performing movements, as well as to the high diversity of equipment (Bláha, 2005). According to Pohájacká (2011), sports represent the most natural activity in children’s lives, through which they absorb a great number of impulses, knowledge, and experiences into their own consciousness. Satisfied pupils should be the ambition of all teachers. The pupil must actively take part in the educational process to be successful in it. Considering the low, or even absent, inner motivation of pupils, outside motivation from the teacher, whose role is to actively engage them in individual activities, is very important, especially in terms of prevention of undesirable social phenomena * Corresponding author E-mail addresses: [email protected] (P. Bartík), [email protected] (Š. Adamčák) 40 European Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 2018, 6(2) (Verešová, 2004). According to Roučková, Argajová (2013), it is the emotional side of the physical education process and the elimination of stereotypes in the teachers’ activities which have a positive response among pupils. The most important factor, when implementing and realising non-traditional sports, is the teacher’s personality, their willingness and sensitive approach in the selection of exercises and sports, through which they will achieve a gradual development of the pupils’ competences in accordance with the chosen physical activity (Adamčák, 2013). An active, creative, and flexible teacher, who knows their subject and pupils, can make teaching more attractive and build on the pupils’ knowledge, on what they find interesting, and what is natural and attractive to them. We identify with the opinion of Chromík et al. (1993), that teachers are the most important factor of the educational process, because they provide the pupils with information and, at the same time, influence the development of their personality. The research aims to ascertain the current state of non-traditional sports in primary schools in the urban and rural schools in the Košice region. 2. Materials and methods The survey sample consisted of 324 teachers, who teach Physical Education and Sport in the second level of primary schools in the Košice region. Out of the total, 176 (104 males and 72 females) were teachers in urban schools and 148 (85 males and 63 females) were teachers in rural schools. Their detailed characteristics are stated in Table 1. We used the interrogative method – survey – as a central method in our research. Table 1. The characteristics of the survey sample of teachers in terms of locality District Urban Rural Average Average Average values Gender Male Female values Male Female values rural urban – rural urban M-F M-F Gelnica 4.80 % 5.55 % 5.11 % 4.70 % 4.76 % 4.72 % 4.93 % Košice I. 20.19 % 15.27 % 18.18 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 9.87 % Košice II. 24.03 % 20.83 % 22.72 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 12.34 % Košice III. 7.69 % 9.72 % 8.52 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 4.62 % Košice IV. 18.26 % 11.11 % 15.34 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 8.33 % Košice- 0.0 % 6.94 % 2.84 % 30.58 % 34.92 % 32.43 % 16.35 % okolie Michalovc 4.80 % 12.5 % 7.95 % 20.0 % 34.92 % 26.35 % 16.35 % e Rožňava 4.80 % 2.77 % 3.97 % 10.58 % 9.52 % 10.13 % 6.79 % Sobrance 2.88 % 1.38 % 2.27 % 9.41 % 34.76 % 7.43 % 4.62 % Spišská 6.73 % 6.94 % 6.81 % 18.82 % 7.93 % 14.18 % 10.18 % Nová Ves Trebišov 5.76 % 6.94 % 6.25 % 5.88 % 3.17 % 4.72 % 5.55 % Results were processed by a percentage frequency analysis and, at the same time, evaluated by the Chi-squared test levels p < 0.01 and p < 0.05 from the aspect of locality (urban-rural), as well as gender differences. 3. Results In the first survey question, we asked which sport activities pupils prefer during Physical Education and Sport. The findings presented in (T2) point to the fact that pupils of urban and rural schools unequivocally prefer traditional sport activities during PE classes. The foregoing correlates with the research done by Slezák and Melicher (2008), who found that boys mainly prefer football in primary schools and basketball in higher grades. Girls are mostly interested in volleyball. Considering the responses, we predicted that non-traditional sports would gain a higher percentage, which was not confirmed. One of the reasons, based on our experience, could be, that, 41 European Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 2018, 6(2) if we offer a new non-traditional activity to pupils, the younger pupils will show curiosity and high initial interest. If they do not identify with the activity yet (they have not become accustomed to it) the initial euphoria quickly fades away and they go back to the “good-old” traditional sports. Table 2. Pupils’ interest in non-traditional sports in PE classes Locality Urban Rural Average values urban – rural Gender Male Female Average Male Female Average values values urban M-F rural M-F Traditional sport 83.65 % 72.22 % 78.97 % 89.41 % 77.77 % 84.45 % 81.48 % activities Non-traditional 10.57 % 22.22 % 15.34 % 8.23 % 20.63 % 13.51 % 14.50 % sport activities Not interested in 5.76 % 5.55 % 5.68 % 2.35 % 1.58 % 2.02 % 4.01 % sport activities We find it appropriate to regularly return to traditional sports while gradually introducing and offering something new to pupils. In our opinion, we should offer pupils as much information and experience as possible, so they can choose activities they will follow throughout their lives, and help them create a lifelong relationship with physical activities, which are (often unintentionally) then passed on to the next generation, and by that fulfil the fundamental aim of PE. The fact that 4.01% of pupils do not show interest in any sports is worrying. Pupils in rural areas show more interest in sport activities than those in urban areas. The following findings are from research by Betka (2012) on the popularity of sports for leisure purposes: volleyball has become the favourite sport, selected by 25 % of pupils, the second favourite was football, also selected by 25 %, and floorball was in third place with 14 %. Floorball is now commonly played in PE classes, constantly gaining greater popularity, and therefore we no longer include it among non-traditional sports. This has also been confirmed by Antala et al. (2012) and Adamčák – Nemec (2014). Statistically significant differences at level p < 0.05 were only recorded in terms of gender differences. Women, without distinction to locality, lean more towards non-traditional sports. Table 3. Statistical evaluation of pupils’ interest in non-traditional sports in PE classes Item Male Female Urban Rural Average value Urban – Rural Urban – Rural Male – Female Male – Female Urban – Rural Statistical N (0.419) N (0.448) X X N (0.206) significance (0.10) (0.09) Chi-squared Legend: xx = statistical significance – level p < 0.01, x = statistical significance – level p < 0.05, N = statistically insignificant Research done by Biddle, Soos, Hamar, et al. (2009), Nemec-Nemcová, (2012), Beták, (2014), and others, point to the need for increasing the physical activity of children, as well as the fact that motivating pupils towards regular physical activity and Physical Education itself is more and more difficult (Kazimírová, 2008). That is why, when we were putting the survey together, we were mostly interested in whether the implementation of non-traditional sports really contributes to the increase of interest in Physical Education and Sport.